The Girl Who Accidentally Ran Away (A Doctor Who Fan-fiction)

Chapter Twenty-Five: OK

The TARDIS began to materialize around the key and the Doctor put his jacket back on, running back up to the pulpit. 

"Right, no one touches that key, have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key it'll be, well..."

"Zap." I added. "Just leave it alone and everything should be fine. Everyone will get out of this."

"Stuart, Sarah, you're gonna get married just like I said." The Doctor told them. We went to the back of the sanctuary and sat down next to Rose.

"When time gets sorted out..." She trailed off.

'Everybody here forgets what happened. And don't worry. The thing that you changed will stay changed."

"You mean I'll still be alive." Pete said from behind us. I turned around, as did Rose and the Doctor. "Though I'm meant to be dead. That's why I haven't done anything with my life. Why I didn't mean anything."

"Doesn't work like that." The Doctor told him.

"Rubbish." I turned around.

"Pete...you've got a wife." He looked up at me. "A daughter, who is going to grow up to be the incredible young woman sitting in front of you now. She wouldn't exist without you, so how could you say you don't mean anything?" 

"I was so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all this has happened." He replied.

"This is my fault." Rose told him.

"No, love. I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."

"Her dad?" We looked up to see Jackie standing in front of us with baby Rose in her arms. "How are you her dad? How old were you twelve? Oh, that's disgusting." The Doctor shook his head, rolling his eyes and standing up. He grabbed my arm, taking me with him.

"Jacks, listen. This is Rose."

"Rose? How sick is that? Did you give my daughter a second-hand name? How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?"

"For goodness' sake, look it's the same Rose!' He took the baby, handing it to Rose.

"Rose, no!"  The Doctor and I leapt forward, but it was too late. The creature materialized in the church. "Everyone, behind me!"

The Doctor and I stood in front of the crowd.

"Katherine, get behind me!"

"Not a chance." I said, grabbing his hand and intertwining our fingers. "You and I are the oldest things in here. No safer place for them." Then the creature charged foreword, and the Doctor did something I would never forgive him for. He shoved me back into the crowd and let the creature eat him. "DOCTOR!" 

The creature flew into the materializing TARDIS and disappeared, sending the key to the floor. I walked forward, picking it up and shoving it into my pocket. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Katherine-"

"I can't..." I looked up at her. "This whole saving lives thing, I can't...I can't do it without him, he's better at it, I can't..." Tears welled in my eyes. I felt numb, like none of this was real. None of this was actually happening.

"This is all my fault...both of you...all of you...the whole world." Rose started crying and Pete hugged her.

"This...this isn't happening, it's not happening-I CAN'T DO THIS!" I fell to the floor, unable to move, unable to think. The Doctor's dead. There is no hope. The sky started to go dark.

"This is it. There's nothing we can do. It's the end." I stopped, the idea filling my head. I stood up, looking at Pete. He nodded.

"You don't have to do this." I told him. He pulled away from Rose. "I was just upset, before. We can find another way, we can fix this."

"Dad?" Rose asked.

"It's alright. This is how it's supposed to be."

"But it's not right, it's not! No more good men have to die today!"

"I'm not a good man, Katherine...not like the Doctor." I shook my head. "You two really cared about her. Didn't want her to go through it again if there was another way. Now there isn't."

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked. He put his suit jacket back on.

"The car that should've killed me, love. It's here. The Doctor worked it out way back, which means that Katherine did too...tried to protect me. Still...there's no other way."

"But you can't." Rose said, her voice breaking.

"Who am I, love?" He put a hand on her face.

"My daddy." Jackie came up beside us.

"Jackie, look at her. She's ours." Jackie looked at her.

"Of course..." She wrapped her arms around Rose, hugging her. She pulled away, turning to Pete.

"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie. You're gonna get rid of me at last."

"Don't say that." She said tearfully.

"For once in your life, trust me. It's got to be done. You've got to survive 'cause you've got to bring up our daughter." He kissed her. "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."

"You would've been." Rose sobbed. He nodded.

"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now."

"But it's not fair." 

"I've had all these extra hours. No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I get to see you. And you're beautiful. How lucky am I, eh? So, come on. do as your dad says." He turned to me. "You take care of her. Do what I can't, will you?" I shook my head.

"I don't care what anyone says, Pete Tyler...including you. You are a good man. The best kind of man." He smiled sadly. Rose handed him a vase with a pink bow on it.

"You gonna be there for me love?" She nodded. "Thanks for saving me." He hugged Rose and Jackie together.

~~~

I watched from the door as he ran down the street towards the gold car that had miraculously appeared. The ran out in front of it. The vase shattered, the creatures disappeared, and everyone who had been killed were back where they were before. Rose stood beside me, her eyes closed. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at me.

"Hurry. Go to him." She did as I said, and after a few seconds a hand came down on my shoulder. I looked up at the Doctor.

"Katherine-" I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Hey...it's alright. I'm here." I buried my face in his neck, tears streaming down my face.

~~~

When we got back to the TARDIS, Rose decided to go and have a lie down. I didn't blame her. I sat down in the jump seat, staring blankly at the floor. The Doctor sat down beside me.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I sighed.

"I was useless without you." He shook his head.

"It was alright in the end-"

"Because of Pete." I looked up at him. "Pete saved the day, Pete had the courage to do what was necessary, and I...was a sobbing, useless mess."

"That's not true. You've saved my life time and time again, all on your own. You were in shock, that's all." I jumped up abruptly, walking around the console away from him. I put my hands over my face and started crying all over again. "Hey...Katherine..."

His hands found my shoulders and he turned me around to face him. He gently moved my hands from my face, wiping stray tears away with his thumbs.  He tucked my hair behind my ear.

"I'm right here. I'm alive, I am ok. Everything is ok." I wrapped my arms around his waist, my face pressed against the soft fabric of his jumper. His arms wrapped around me, and I inhaled the old leather scent of his jacket, and in that moment...I believed that everything was ok.

"I love you, Doctor." I whispered into his shirt.

"I love you too."